Brutal “Kaizo” Levels Take Advantage of Link’s Abilities in Mario Maker 2
Posted on January 07 2020 by Alexis S. Anderson
Super Mario Maker’s user-generated levels showcase a range of designs that can leave players in awe of their intricacy and infuriated with their difficulty. Certain near-impossible to beat stages known as “Kaizo” levels are equally as prevalent in Mario Maker 2 as they were in its predecessor. Unique to the sequel, however, are Kaizo levels built around the newly playable Link. His moveset differs from Mario’s, opening the door for brand new styles of torture by Kaizo creators.
This has to be the craziest looking level I have played so far in MM2 and another .01 clear rate level taken down:) Shout outs to the mad genius @Carl_Sagan42 PLWEASE MAKE MORE WEBELS
Its Dangerous to Go at All
QHM-GFK-2NF pic.twitter.com/gKYuOkiL5e— GrandPooBear @ GDQ (@GrandPOOBear) January 1, 2020
Polygon recently spoke to speedrunner GrandPooBear on Twitter about the new levels after he publicly praised a Kaizo by CarlSagan42 called “It’s Dangerous To Go At All.” His playthrough of the level (Course ID: QHM-GFK-2NF) can be found in his Tweet:
GrandPooBear told Polygon that the “Link power-up is the greatest thing that has ever come to the game for Kaizo creators,” adding that Link’s levels are more “button-heavy” because of the way his arrows function and how they can interact with his bombs.
In contrast to Mario, Link can use the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, a bow and arrow, bombs, a dash attack, and a down thrust. His arrows release on a delay because the action begins with Link pulling an arrow back in the bow, and his forward momentum is affected by the initiation of a shot. These elements make levels built around his moveset an even greater challenge for Mario Maker 2 players accustomed to grinding through Kaizos as Mario.
Playthroughs of an additional nine Mario Maker 2 Link-based Kaizos by Mario speedrunner and level designer PangaeaPanga can be watched in the featured video above. The Course IDs for each level are as follows:
- The Hyperlink by Trakkan (53P-JKW-NNF)
- Road of Lonk: Pig’s A-bacon-ing by Space_Pig (TTY-HBL-GKF)
- Legend of Zhellda: Pigs on Ice by Trakkan (FWK-72B-CPF)
- The Duet by Trakkan (1MV-6TR-9VF)
- Adagio for Newt by Trakkan (8N9-SL8-4NF)
- LSB: Link’s Spiketop Beating by Buflen (HGS-JCK-52H)
- A Link to the Axe by Aurateur (F14-MS0-7LF)
- Ganonballs by Royalnobody (M8G-1WJ-8XG)
- The Story of Lonk: Zorldo Quest by Vellhart (K70-GFF-TCG)
Do any of you plan on trying out these Kaizos? What do you think of the Link power-up in general? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Polygon
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
